MacEWAN 77
UVIC 62(Griffins win series 2-0)
听
The UVic Vikes basketball season is officially over.
Coach Dani Sinclair 鈥� with newborn son and her women鈥檚 team in tow 鈥� will return home later today after being swept in the best-of-three sa国际传媒 West quarter-finals, dropping a 77-62 decision to the MacEwan Griffins in Edmonton on Saturday afternoon.
Sinclair delivered the baby at 4:30 a.m. on Friday in the Alberta capital (more than two weeks early) and was back on the bench for Game 1鈥檚 78-69 loss at the city centre campus at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, the Vikes were hoping to extend the series to a third and deciding game this afternoon, but ran into a tough, veteran-laden squad.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a good team. We fought hard tonight,鈥� said Sinclair. 鈥淚 think we succumbed to their physicality a bit. It also hurt that we didn鈥檛 hit open shots.鈥�
Sinclair鈥檚 crew struggled from three-point land, connecting on just 3-of-18, which was out of character for the Vikes. What hurt even more was the Griffins went to the foul line twice as many times (34) and parlayed that into 20 points. Victoria hit 17 of 20 from the charity stripe.
鈥淸Friday] night, they let us play, [Saturday] they let them play,鈥� said Sinclair, who wasn鈥檛 blaming the officiating. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been sending teams to the line far too consistently the last few weeks and that costs you.鈥�
The Vikes also didn鈥檛 have an answer to Megan Wood who collected a game-high 34 points. Kristy Gallagher led the Vikes with 22. Jenna Krug added 10, while the Griffins kept Jenna Bugiardini in check with just nine. Amira Giannattasio and Nicole Karstein both fouled out for Victoria, which added to their dilemma.
鈥淚t hurt when Nicole went out. She鈥檚 one of our best defenders against her,鈥� said Sinclair. 鈥淲e tried to double [team] her a little bit, but we sort of missed assignments on key possessions, defensively.鈥�
All in all, it will definitely be a memorable road trip, as Sinclair delivered her third son, who is as yet unnamed.
鈥淣ow that we don鈥檛 have to look over video we might have some time to come up with something. It鈥檚 safe to say it won鈥檛 be Grant or Mac,鈥� Sinclair said with a laugh, referring to Grant MacEwan, the deceased author, educator and former lieutenant governor of Alberta for whom the university takes its name.
鈥淚鈥檓 kind of glad we don鈥檛 leave till later [today]. Some thing tells me I鈥檓 probably going to hit a wall here soon. It was nice to have family here, though. That helped.鈥�
Sinclair鈥檚 husband, Matt, who is from the area, was on the trip and his parents were also on hand to assist.
鈥淗e made it through this game as well,鈥� Sinclair said of her newborn.
PACWEST FINAL: The clock struck midnight just a little early for the Cinderella Camosun Chargers. After knocking off the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds at the Pacwest men鈥檚 basketball championships at Capilano University, the underdog No. 6 Chargers were defeated 97-73 by the No. 1 Vancouver Island University Mariners late Saturday night. The Mariners wrapped up a perfect season and the two Island teams head to the nationals in Fort McMurray, Alta.
Twitter/tc_vicsports
